SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 23 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Conducted by Alice Everett, M.A. 

 The Sun. — Though there are a fair number of spots upon 

 the Sun, they are neither so tine nor so numerous as last 

 year. The maximum of spot activity is supposed to have 

 been reached somewhere about last August. The maximum 

 last preceding was in December, 1883. Since the last mini- 

 mum the northern hemisphere has been more spotted than 

 the southern. T|IE MooN . R ; scs . Souths. 



Full Feb. 20 ... 2.16 a.m. ... 4.33 p.m. ... 12.14 a.m. 



Last yr. ... Feb. 27 ... i2.28noon... 2.3 a.m. ... 5.43 a.m. 



New Mar. 7 ... 2.19p.m. ... 547 p.m. ... 12.10 noon. 



1st Qr Mar. 14 ... 6.28 p.m. ... 3.14 a.m. ... 6.3 p.m. 



OCCULTATIONS OF STARS BY THE MOON. 



Dis- Angle from Angle from 



Star. Mag. appears. N.Pt. Reappears. N.Pt. 



Mar. 1 B.A.c. 6107 4 5.13 a.m. 1380 6.16 a.m. 236° 



Mar. 17 w- Cancri 6§ 12.3 a.m. 88° 12.58 a.m. 314° 



"Near Approaches." Angle from 



Star. Mag. Time. N. Point. 



Feb. 21. b.a.c. 4043 ... 6J ... 10.3 p.m. ... 212° 



Mar. 15 136 Tauri ... 5 ... 12.25 a.m. ... 185 



Mar. 17 o 1 Cancri ... 6 ... 12.2 a.m. ... 21 



Planets. — Mercury is unfavourably situated for observa- 

 tion, and, after March 7, too near the Sun to be visible. On 

 Feb. 25, Mercury may be observed after sunset in S.W., a 

 little south of the star \ Piscium. 



On Feb. 21, Mercury rises at 7.32 a.m. ; souths 1.15 p.m., and 

 sets 6.58 p.m. Right Ascension 23.17; Declination 4.27, S. On 

 March 2, Mercury rises at 6.57 a.m.; souths 1.10 p.m., and 

 sets 7.23 p.m. Right Ascension 23.51 ; Declination 1.48 N. 



Venus is a morning star, rising about an hour and a half 

 before the Sun, and is a bright object in the East in the 

 morning sky. This planet was in inferior conjunction (in 

 a straight line between the Earth and Sun), on Feb. 16, at 

 9 a.m. Position. 



Diameter. Rises. Souths. R.A. Dec. 



Feb. 21... 59" ... 5.53 a.m. ... 11.31a.m. ... 21.34... 5° 2I ' S. 

 Mar. 3 ... 53" ... 5.10 a.m. ... 10.37 a.m. ... 21.21... y° 22' S. 

 Mar. 13 .. 46" ... 4.40 a.m. ... 9.59 a.m. ... 21.24... 8°52^S. 



Mars, a morning star, is very low down in the constellation 

 Sagittarius, only 15 above the horizon at its highest when due 

 south. This planet may be recognized by its ruddy hue. 



Position. 

 Diameter. Rises. Souths. R.A . Dec. 



Feb. 20... 6" ... 4.31a.m. ... 8.19 a.m. ... 18,21... 23° 43' S. 

 Mar. 2 ... 6J" ... 4:20 a.m. ... 8.10 a.m. ... 18.51... 23°26'S. 

 Mar. 12... 7" ... 4.6 a.m. ... 8.1a.m. ... 19.21... 22 48' S. 



Jupiter is a brilliant object in Taurus, not far from the first 

 mag. star Aldebaran (Right Ascension 4h. 30m., Declination 

 16 18' N.). The red spot, so famous of old, is now very faint. 



Position. 

 Diameter. Souths. Sets R.A. Dec. 



Mar. 2 ... 35" ... 4.49 p.m. ... 12.32 p.m. ... 3.30 ... 18 18' S. 

 Mar.22... 34" ... 3.43 p.m. ... 11.31p.m. ... 3.43 ... 19 6'S. 



Saturn may be seen a little to the north of Spica, in the 

 Virgin. With its ring and eight moons, this planet is, per- 

 haps, the most striking celestial object to be seen with a 

 telescope. Position. 



Diam. Rises. Souths. R.A. Dec. 



Mar. 2 ... 17" 9.23 p.m. Mar. 3 2.51 a.m. 13.35 6° 59' S. 

 Mar.22 ... 17" 7.57p.m. Mar. 3 1.28a.m. 13.20 6°3i'S. 



Uranus is now well situated for observation, being visible 

 to the naked eye in Libra, near the star a Librae, and 

 west of the stars 8 and n, Libras. Position. 



Diam. Rises. Souths. R.A. Dec. 



Mar. 2 4" ... 11.30 p.m. ... 4.8 a.m. ... 14.52 ... 16° 2' S. 



Neptune is in Taurus, N.E. of Aldebaran. Position. 



Diam. Souths. Sets. R.A. Dec. 



Ma J.2... zh" ... 5.56p.m. ... 1.53a.m. ... 4.38 ... 20"35'N. 



The small planet Ceres is visible to the naked eye as a 6th 

 or 7th mag. star in Leo, and passes the meridian about mid- 

 night. Vesta is a little to the south of Ceres. Ceres will for 

 several days be in conjunction with 93 Leonis. Vesta will be 

 near £ Leonis in the beginning of March. 



The Right Ascension of Ceres for Mar. 3 is nh. 44m., and 

 declination 2o°23' N. 



The Constellations, Ursa Major, Leo, Crater, Hydra, will be 

 on the meridian at midnight in the beginning of March. 



Comets.— Not one of the known periodic Comets is due to 

 return this vear. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — SciENCE-GossiF 

 is published on the 25th of each month. All notes or other 

 communications should reach us not later than the 18th ot 

 the month for insertion in the following number. No com- 

 munications can be inserted or noticed without full name 

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 seven words or less. 



Notice. — Contributors are requested to observe the follow- 

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 di ately Before! Capitals may only be used tor generic, and 

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The Editors are not responsible for unused MSS.. neither 

 can they undertake to return them, unless accompanied with 

 stamps for return postage. 



Subscriptions. — Subscriptions to Science-Gossip, at the 

 rate of 5s. for twelve months (including postage), may com- 

 mence at any time. 



The Editors will be pleased to answer questions and name 

 specimens through the Correspondence column of the maga- 

 zine. Specimens, in good condition, of not more than three 

 species to be sent at one time, carriage paid. Duplicates 

 only to be sent, which will not be returned. The specimens 

 must have identifying numbers attached, together with 

 locality, date and particulars of capture. 



All communications, remittances of subscriptions, books 

 or instruments for review, specimens for identification, etc., 

 are to be addressed to John T. Carrington, i, Northumber- 

 land Avenue, London, W.C> 



EXCHANGES. 



For exchange, fine cestraciont teeth, Psammodus porosus 

 from carboniferous limestone, polished fossil corals and 

 common brachiopoda of mountain limestone. Wanted, good 

 Jurassic ammonites, and goniatites of various species from 

 the Isle of Man and Ireland.— W. F. Holroyd, Greenfield, 

 near Oldham. 



Science-Gossip, complete, 1865-92, inclusive (twenty-eight 

 years) , sixteen years bound, twelve unbound, in perfect con- 

 dition. What offers in cash? — S. I. Tindall, 1, Woodford 

 Hall Villas, Chelmsford Road, Woodford. 



Offered, clutches or singles, ring-ousel, twite, black stork, 

 sandpiper, teal, curlew, cuckoo, sociable plover, etc. Wanted, 

 hawks, owls, shrikes, nightingale, wood and reed warbler, 

 great reed warbler, gulls, swifts, and many others. — Jas. 

 Ellison, Steeton, Keighley. 



Wanted, about a dozen living examples of Helix poraatia, 

 for which large Unio pictorum or other shells are ottered. — 

 W. A. Gain, Tuxford, Newark. 



Wanted, "Natural Science," vols. i. and ii., "Universal 

 Atlas" (Cassell), " Erd Geschichte " (Neumeyer), " Illustrated 

 Index of British Shells" (Sowerby), "Natural History" 

 (Cassell). Can exchange Quain's " Diet, of Medicine." — 

 Address, with price or desiderata, A. Abseil, jun., 14, Venner 

 Road, Sydenham. 



Offered, pectolite (beautiful specimens). Wanted, cala- 

 mine, malachite, nickeline, cerussite, wulfenite, franklinite, 

 cassiterite, spheul, pyrolosite, manganite, cuprite, valentinite, 

 tin, bismuth, mispickel, molybdenite, stibnite, zinckenite, 

 sylvanite, fahlore, stanine, wolfzine, pyrargyrite, realgar, 

 orpiment, and other metallic ores. — J. Smith, Monkredding, 

 Kilwinning. 



Offered, Vertigo antivertigo, V. alpestris, V. substriata, 

 Pupa ringens, and other rare and local shells. Wanted, 

 Vertigo angustior, V. Moulinsiania, V. minutissima, Helix 

 obvoluta, H. terrestris, Lim. involuta, Succ. oblonga, Acicula 

 lineata, Testacella scutulum, white varieties of British land 

 and freshwater shells, or foreign land shells. — A. Hartley, 14, 

 Croft Street, Idle, near Bradford. Yorks. 



Duplicates of good minerals and fossils. What offers for 

 them in other fossils or micro, slides, or any other micro, 

 material. Lists sent. — P. J. Roberts, 11, Back Ash Street, 

 Bacup. 



Offered, Helix sericea in exchange for vars. of Cyclo- 

 stoma elegans. The specimens are fine, clean and perfect, 

 free from animal. Vars. violacea and marmorata are 

 especially desired. — R. Wigglesworth, 13, Arthur Street, 

 Clayton-le-Moors, Accrington. 



Three dozen slides of granite, all from different quarries, 

 and taken from the living rocks ; very thin ground for polari- 

 scope. Exchange for a 2-inch objective, er anything in 

 microscopy up to value. A sample slide sent. — John Mearns, 

 52, Jasmin Terrace, Aberdeen. 



